Spaghetti With Mussels in A Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tin chopped or whole tomatoes (I actually used a carton of freshly chopped, but either is fine)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped/crushed 
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or if like me, you don’t drink, you can use white grape juice. flattened shloer also works as it is very dry!)
• 900g mussels
• 2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2tsp red chilli pepper, chopped (make sure you remove the seeds if you are not a big fan of spicy things!)
• 2tsp chopped thyme
• pinch of sugar
• salt, to taste
• 350g gluten free spaghetti (I used an Italian make, Tenuta Marmorelle, can be bought online)

Method

• Using a food processor/blender, pulse the tomatoes for approx. 1 minute to create a purée. (Not necessary if you are using the carton of freshly chopped tomatoes).
• Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta. 
• Meanwhile, combine half of the garlic, shallots and white wine (or grape juice) in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and add mussels. Cover and cook for approx. 5 minutes, or until all of the mussels have opened up. 
• Transfer the mussels into a separate bowl and leave to cool. Remove half from shells, leaving the other half intact. (Do not get rid of the remaining liquid that the mussels were cooked in)
• In a separate saucepan, heat the olive oil, half of the garlic and the chilli peppers for approx. 1 minute. Then add the tomatoes, thyme and sugar. After approx. 5 minutes, add the remaining liquid from cooking the mussels and bring to a boil. Once boiled, turn heat to low.
• Meanwhile, cook your pasta.
• Once the pasta is nearly done, add the mussels to the tomato mixture and leave to cook for approx. 5 minutes. 
• Drain the pasta and mix with tomato sauce and mussels. Serve straight away.